Where Classic Rock Lives...Barely!!!

The instrumental is a tough thing to pull off. I mean it's hard enough writing a song with words that people will remember, but then take away those words and all you have left is the instruments? I mean really, this ain't jazz baby, it's rock and roll. In my opinion, a true instrumental has to be just that, instruments only and it has to be a song.

I love Van Halen's "Eruption" but that's just any Eddie solo, not really a song. I need multiple instruments, matter of fact, I need the whole band, minus the singer. I also need the song to be catchy enough that I can hum it, regardless of the lack of vocals. So after combing through my vast mental archive of music, I came up with the top 5.

5. One Of These Days

Early Floyd had a lot of experimental instrumentals and in my opinion most of them pretty much sucked unless you happen to be on LSD at the time and even then, you'd more than likely freak yourself out then tap your toe to the song.

But One Of These Days is the perfect mix of weird and song. All the members of The Floyd are equal contributors on this mind blower. But it's drummer Rick Wright, that does the heavy lifting. After listening to this tune, you feel like you just ran a marathon on scrooms.

4. Moby Dick

Now Moby Dick comes in all sizes, the studio version is only 4:25, but it's the legendary live version that takes on mythical stature.

The song starts off as a Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham jam, but then Bonzo kicks off his drum solo, which sometimes went on as long as 45 minutes. As Slater from Dazed and Confused said it best " You couldn't handle that shit on strong acid man." and man was he right.

3. YYZ

Rush's YYZ to me is the prototype prog rock instrumental, it's crisp, clean, features all the members of the band, yet it's not so overwhelming that you tune out 3 minutes into it. The song is catchy as hell and I find myself humming it all the time.

Like the first two instrumentals this one also falls on the shoulders of the drummer, with Neal Peart holding it all together. This song is what prog rock is all about.

2. Jessica

Everyone needs a little bit of southern fried rock now and then, but a southern instrumental you say? While obviously you've never heard of a girl named Jessica. This jam is pure tasty bbq. This song features all the Brothers on it, but it's guitarist Dicky Betts tune all the way.

Elizabeth Reed may have come first, but it's Jessica that steals your heart.

1. Frankenstein

The top instrumental in my opinion is an intergalactic, spacetastic freak out, both the song and the band. Edgar Winter's Frankenstein. The song like the monster is made up of many parts and they're all deliciously scary. Edgar busts out the keyboards, sax, drums and I think the kazoo.

There has never been anything like it, nor will there ever be again. The song is so good, you really don't even need lyrics. I'm pretty sure Edgar Winter is from Saturn, because this jam is otherworldly.